15 Things You Must Know Before Buying a Maine Coon Kitten

By Sarah Crosier

The only way to be 100% sure of getting a verified pure breed Maine Coon cat is to buy a pedigree kitten from a breeder. The breeder should be able to present a family tree of your cat’s pedigree and provide relevant certification.

A recommended place to start a search for a reputable breeder in your local area is the “Maine Coon Breed Fanciers Association” (www.mcbfa.org) Maine Coon kittens can be instantly recognizable by the long tufty ears and oversized paws, as seen in the classic longhaired American however there is a European strain of Maine Coon, (my own Maine Coon, King Henry comes from a German line) which has a shorter ruff around the neck, and often a fuller, squarer muzzle. The differences are not apparent until the cat is between 12 to 18 months.

In terms of identifying a “pure” pedigree Maine Coon, you’ll be relying quite heavily on information the breeder is presenting to you. If you have difficulty finding a reputable breeder, you could try and get a recommendation by talking to individuals at a Maine Coon event or an “all breeds” Cat show. It is essential you are happy with your breeder – if you are becoming a Maine Coon owner for the first time, you may need to rely on their expert advice.

You can expect to pay anywhere between $500 and $800 for a pure breed Maine Coon. With food, litter, vet bills and cat-sitters for holidays, Maine Coons can be a relatively expensive investment. All Maine Coon owners will agree that they are a truly wonderful breed and will repay you many times over.

IMPORTANT TIP: This could save a lot of heartache, trouble and expense later on; When buying an expensive pet, do not go for the kitten you feel sorry for and looks like it needs help. Any kittens with signs of withdrawal, low energy or general apathy, should really be avoided. Choose an independent, lively, energetic kitten. Pick out kittens that don’t necessarily come to you but are, however, interested in their surroundings.

It’s best to pick a local breeder and visit them in their home, when you’re first making your initial enquiries to check the kitten’s living conditions, health and welfare of all cats living in the same environment.

Although it sounds like common sense, have questions prepared that will help you to establish whether the breeder can be trusted.

Questions you’ll definitely want to ask:

1. How much experience does the breeder have? If you need assurance about the breeder’s ability/expertise ask to speak to someone who has recently purchased a Maine Coon from that breeder.

2. Who are the kittens’ parents and are they champions? Even if you don’t intend to show your cat, you’ll still want to find out about their pedigree. That’s what you are paying for. If this is just not important, you can sometimes find cheaper Maine Coons that are called “pet quality” meaning they do not meet the required physical standards for showing. This does not mean they are not perfectly healthy.

3. Does the stud live with the breeder? If not, can the breeder guarantee that the stud has not been subjected to any illnesses e.g. cat flu. Has the breeder bred the stud before?

4. Is there any known heredity illnesses in the ancestral line such as HCM (can cause heart failure) and hip problems?

5. Have any of the other cats suffered from any illnesses for e.g. have any recent litters suffered from any strain of cat flu?

6. If relevant to your situation, ask if the kitten is comfortable around other animals and children?

7. At what point, could the kittens leave their mother (I would be concerned if the breeder allowed the kitten to leave it’s mother if it is less than 12 weeks).

8. Will a vet check the kittens before leaving the breeder’s home? How many times? If the Maine Coon becomes ill after it has left the breeder, who is responsible for paying vet’s fees or could the kitten be returned to the breeder?

9. You’ll also want to find out how often the queen is impregnated; because a queen subjected to “too regular” pregnancies can be prone to producing weak or sickly kittens.

Other things you may want to check/do:

10. The living conditions of the stud and queens e.g. the cleanliness of the cages/rooms and the health/welfare of the cat etc.

11. Will the cats be litter trained before they move to their new homes?

12. Also, the environment where the mother and kittens are living. Are there toys, clean litter, warmth, food and water?

13. Check the eyes of the kitten to evaluate its health. Never purchase a kitten that has weeping eyes.

14. The breeder’s contract. Have a read of the written agreement before you commit yourself. Pay particular attention to areas of responsibility should the kitten become unwell soon after you’ve bought him/her.

15. You should book your new kitten in for an all round check with your own vet almost as soon as you’ve collected from the breeder. If there are any signs of problems, you’ll want to know within the first 24 hours.

On the whole, Maine Coon breeders are passionate about their cats and love what they do. There’s not a whole lot of money to be made in breeding Maine Coons, and it is very demanding work.

Unless, your gut feeling tells you otherwise, you can expect to be talking to breeders who are totally dedicated Maine Coon lovers.

Copyright 2006 Sarah Crosier

Sarah Crosier is a committed Maine Coon owner and enthusiast. She is the author of the 17 page report, “7 Essential Tips for Maine Coon Cat Owners”. A free copy of her report is available for immediate download by visiting: http://www.mainecooncompanion.com/info.html

Do You Want To Find a Purebred Cat?

by Niall Kennedy

For some of us, a common-or-garden Tom cat is not enough. We want quality feline company with a pedigree and the only way to guarantee that a cat is a purebreed is to contact one of the national cat associations or similar organisations in other countries.

To find a purebred cat, you may start with the Cat Fancier’s Association. The CFA was created to maintain breed standards and to register litters as purebreds. The association also holds cat shows and judges them based on how closely they adhere to the standards. They recognize only 41 breeds of cats.

The breeder registers a litter of kittens with the Cat Fancier’s Association. Then they have the option of deciding whether or not to allow the kitten to be bred. Only cats with a pin number on their registration forms will be eligible to have their kittens registered. This allows the breeders to continue to better their breeds. Once the litter is registered, each kitten will need to be individually registered by its new owner.

There are three categories of recognized cats. They are the Championship Class, the Provisional Class, and the Miscellaneous Class. Each bred that the CFA recognizes is in one of these groups. They must win first place in their breed and then their class before they can compete for the title of best in show.

The Championship Class are those cats who are established cat breeds. The breeds in the Provisional Class have been more recently established. They are still being watched to insure that they conform to the new breed standard. Finally, the one breed currently in the Miscellaneous Class is still having a breed standard created and cannot actually compete for the best in show title.

In Canada, you can register your cat in the Canadian Cat Association. This association was formed by Canadians who did not want to register their cats with an association in another country. There are other popular cat registries including the Traditional Cat Association, which supports original breed standards and does not uphold current trends that exaggerate breed characteristics, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which is the United Kingdom’s cat registry, and the Fédération Internationale Féline, which is the European cat registry.

All cats fit into one of two categories. They are either short hair or long haired. Short haired are breeds like the Abyssinian and British Shorthair. The long haired beads include Turkish Angora and Norwegian Forest Cats. The most popular of them all is the American Shorthair which has been in the US for over 300 years. They have been carefully bred for generations to develop characteristics that would appear in each kitten born. Others include the Siamese, the Rex, the Main Coon, the Ragdoll and the Persian.

Choosing a cat with a pedigree allows you to choose a cat that has the characteristics that you want it to have. They are no more affectionate than other cats but they can be a prized possession no matter what.

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About the Author

Best Pet Health Information is a resource that brings you information and news, tips and reviews to help find cat medication for your pedigree feline. http://www.Best-Pet-Health.info Copyright Best-Pet-Health.info All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.